Environment
Novell Client for Windows 2000/XP/2003 4.91 Support Pack 4 Login
Microsoft Windows XP Professional Windows XP Professional Support Pack 3
Microsoft Windows XP Professional Windows XP Professional Support Pack 3
Situation
Symptom: Error: "802.1X Authentication failed. An RPC error occurred."
Symptom: Unable to use Novell Client 802.1x functionality after installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)."
Resolution
Use the red 'N' in the system tray to enter the Novell Client Properties dialog. Once viewing the Novell Client Properties, simply press OK to save changes, even though no changes have been made. If the NOVEAP.DLL provider is currently unregistered (and if the "802.1x" tab is still enabled in one or more Location Profiles), then you should see a prompt to reboot. This is because the NOVEAP.DLL provider has been re-registered, and a reboot is required in order for this change to be in effect. Once rebooted, the Novell Client 802.1x functionality will be restored to its successful state.
To automate this process, run REGSVR32.EXE against NOVEAP.DLL. The command is:
REGSVR32.EXE /S NOVEAP.DLL
Additional Information
Installation of Windows XP Service Pack 3 can cause the Novell Client's EAP provider (NOVEAP.DLL) to become unregistered. The Novell Client login is attempting to communicate with the EAP provider that is no longer running, which results in the reported RPC error.